


A Helping Hand

by hTeDruknenPotaT



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Bullying, Cuddling and Snuggling, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Human AU, Jaspidot - Freeform, asexual peridot, prosthetic peridot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-17 02:39:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4649082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hTeDruknenPotaT/pseuds/hTeDruknenPotaT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peridot gets thrown in the freaking trash.  Jasper has to come rescue her, and they bond over traumatizing experiences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Helping Hand

**Author's Note:**

> All my human AUs take place in the same universe: the Inferior Bluniverse. Inferior Blue explains the events mentioned in this fic in full detail, but you can probably get the gist of it without reading it.
> 
> For some reason Peridot's mom was somewhat inspired by fanart of Yellow Diamond being Peridot's mom and I know as soon as we meet canon Yellow Diamond I will regret this and for that reason I leave this woman unnamed.

"Yo Robot-Fingers!"’  
  
"Ugh..." you groaned. "Not this shit again..."  
  
The last time in your life that you had this exact sort of taste in your mouth was when you were dared to bite into a lemon.  
  
Some nameless, faceless small pack bore down on you out of nowhere. A long time ago, you might have known their names, but at this point in your life they were interchangeable. "What're you doing here all alone? Did your mom stop paying your bodyguard?"  
  
"Yeah," breathed a nameless, faceless girl, sticking her head right in front of yours.  "Where's your boyfriend?"  
  
"Boyfriend?!" snorted her nameless, interchangeable companion. "Don't you mean her girlfriend? You think a dyke like Robot-Fingers could get herself a man?"  
  
"I wouldn't call that monster she hangs around a girl."  
  
You attempted to stare them all in the face at the same time as you yawned pointedly. "I'm impressed that you rehearsed these lines specifically for me. Really, I'm flattered. But get yourselves a new writer!"

You raised your eyebrows as they paused to consider your insult. "What writer?"  
  
"I don't know, the bad movie you stole those lines from."  
  
"You think you can blow us away like that?" You smelled the peanut butter on the next kid's breath as he took his friend's place in front of your face.  
  
The others closed in, blocking easy escape. Well, that was fine. You were a _master_ at escaping. Whole afternoons spent in various lockers helped spark that. Still, your heart hammered hard. You face flushed and you angrily spat the usual threat:  
  
"I'll report this!"  
  
Three snorts simultaneously sounded. "To who? Heard that wall of meat's been outa commission since Water Witch put the fear of hell in her."  
  
"Yeah, Robot-Fingers, we were all wondering how _that_ happened."

You swallowed. "That's really all we're here for. I wanna know what Lazuli did so I can thank her properly.”

  
"GO AHEAD THEN!" you shouted. "GO THANK HER! GO BE HER FRIEND AND HAVE FUN GETTING YOURSELVES KILLED! THEN _I'LL_ HAVE SOMETHING TO THANK HER FOR!"

"God, what did she _do?"_  
  
"If you want to know, ask her."  
  
The smug grins drop off their faces. You picked up the smug grin and wore it proudly while the others flinched at the idea of engaging with anyone who could make _Jasper_ cower in fear.  
  
For the first time in over a year, she was actually grateful to Lapis Lazuli for a split second. "Okay," spoke one of the kids with the look of someone obviously trying to save face, "But why should we do that if you're right here?"  
  
"You'll have to if you lazy clods wanna find out anything."

"I don't know about everyone else, but I just don't _feel_ like it."  
  
Your eyes darted involuntarily around to find the nearest escape. Or faculty member.  
  
"What're you looking for?"  
  
You tried to respond with something snappy, but it came out as a strangled whimper.  
  
"What the hell was that?"  
  
You regained your composure in a moment. "I said keep your noses in clogged toilets where they belong. Or your parents will know!"  
  
Wrong thing to say. Two pairs of hands grabbed at her collar and a voice shouted in her ear, "MY FUCKING PARENTS DON'T GIVE A SHIT!"  
  
"Don't blame us for ripping off lines when you come up with the same goddamn thing every time!"  
  
"There's a reason only that ugly dyke hangs out with your mommy-loving ass."  
  
"But you weren't even good enough for her, were you?"  
  
"Couldn't stand it when she chose to grab that deranged blue chick's ass in the hallway instead of yours."

This was too much. You couldn't take this anymore. "I'M, NOT, GAY!!!" You screamed.  
  
"Hmph. Coulda fooled me."  
  
You got this shit enough at home. You got this from your brother pretending any moment closed in a room with Jasper was a makeout session, from your mom smirking and telling you she didn't care what happened as long as you used protection, from too many goddamn people to keep putting up with this...

"Like hell. What do you call that thing where a girl's not interested in boys?"  
  
"Asexual," you seethed.  
  
"Shut the fuck up, that's something people on the internet made up."  
  
"NO IT ISN'T YOU IGNORANT SHITHEADS!"  
  
Several voices spoke at once, barely decipherable over each other.  
  
"Maybe you should try sucking a dick‒"  
  
"Did the taste of your girlfriend's hairy pussy turn you off?"  
  
"What's it like being such a special goddamn snowflake?"  
  
Hands gripped at your shirt and at your hair. You reached into your pocket. You could take it this time. Your mother had sent you to school today armed.  
  
In the second it took you to whip out the pepper spray, a hand grabbed your wrist and twisted it.  
A face grinned as the bottle was plucked effortlessly out of your hand.  
  
"ROBOT-FINGERS THINKS SHE CAN ACT ALL TOUGH TODAY?"  
  
You didn't have time to turn your head fast enough before a searing stream burst out of the nozzle and hit you right in the eyes.  
  
You let out a blood-curdling scream before a palm blocked your mouth and several voices at once threatened to hurt you if you didn't shut up. When you didn't shut up, you felt your body being dragged while you fought blindly.

"God, someone shut her up..."  
  
"Who decided to give her arms?"  
  
"Pfft, not me."  
  
You felt your arm being tugged and twisted. To your horror, it came off.  
  
"Try pepper spraying us now, you fucking useless nerd."  
  
You blinked your eyes enough to open them. You found yourself lying somewhere outside on the ground. "IF YOU THINK YOU CLODS CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS‒"  
  
"Why is clod something you'd unironically call someone?"  
  
"Don't you think her voice is annoying?"  
  
"I can't stand listening to it."  
  
In your fruitless struggling, you managed to land an accidental kick to someone's groin. The feeling of triumph lasted an instant before your face landed in the dirt and your leg was being held over your head.

Two pairs of hands held your legs while you gripped the dirt. Another violent jerk, and your lower torso fell hard to the earth. They let you worm your way away for a few feet before they grabbed you again and held your face in the ground while you screamed profanities at them.  
  
"What do you think she's gonna do with one arm?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Another jerk and your last limb detached. "YOU WON'T BE LAUGHING TOMORROW WHEN YOU GET SUSPENDED!" you yelled.  
  
"God, I hate her so much..."  
  
You didn't even notice that one of them had left until you heard pounding pounding footsteps and turned your head hopefully.  
  
It was one of them, back and gripping something in his hand.  
  
"She seriously won't shut up for a second, will she?"  
  
"Is your voice even real, Robot-Fingers? Or did doctors make that, too?"  
  
The other kid knelt down next to his companions. "Oh, great idea."  
  
"WHAT IS? WHAT DO YOU THINK A GREAT IDEA IS, BULLYING RIGHT IN SCHOOL WHERE THERE ARE SECURITY CAMERAS AND TEACHERS AND‒"  
  
The hands that held your face into the ground suddenly lifted your head up. "SOMEONE'S GONNA COME OUT HERE ANY MINUTE AND PUT A STOP TO‒"  
  
Before you could finish your empty threat, you tasted a sweaty sock that muffled your next words.  
You jerked your head hard enough to spit it out. "JASPER, HELP!!" You cried.  
  
Laughter erupted behind you. "Pathetic," Someone giggled.  
  
You opened your mouth to yell only to be choked again by the sweaty sock. You screamed and thrashed harder as you heard a roll of duct tape unroll behind you. Two people held your head in place while the third secured the sweaty sock in place with tape.  
  
Then, they stood back. You rolled over and glared at them, but that was all you could do. You could only glare and shout some indecipherable threats while they surveyed you struggling.  
  
"That's a lot better."  
  
"Thanks man, really helped."

"What do we do now?"  
  
The laugh came from the kid still gripping your arm. "We take out the trash."  
  
You didn't stop screaming as you were roughly lifted and carried down to the giant dumpster.  
You glared at the girl opening the lid, saying with your eyes, _you wouldn't dare._ She replied with her unimpressed smirk, _hell yeah, I would._

"Alright dude, help me."  
  
"Uh." The boy froze in place. "Are you guys sure about this?"  
  
"What the _fuck,_ man."  
  
"You wanna join Robot-Fingers?"  
  
You tried to take advantage of the temporary distraction and wormed your way away. A boot coming down hard on your back stopped you. "Hurry up, idiots. School's gonna be over soon."  
Keep them distracted for a few more minutes, you thought. Your best choice was to keep fighting until people starting spilling outside. But the more you squirmed, the hard the hands squeezed you as you were roughly lifted. Someone held up a camera and snapped a picture before you were thrown in the dumpster.  
  
You didn't go in quietly. But that just made their wicked grins stretch even more before you fell on something hard and the lid shut on top of you.  
  
"Seriously, guys, what are they gonna do when they find her?"  
  
"Probably laugh."  
  
"After that?"  
  
"Hmph. Hopefully no one'll notice she's there."  
  
"She'll get dumped with the rest of the trash."  
  
Whatever they said next was covered by the sound of crinkling garbage bags and your own muffled cursing.

The smell was enough to choke you. You had a feeling you were close to the rotten remains of Tuesday's lunch. But the dickholes had left you with only your nose to breathe through. A few minutes later, you heard happy chattering and footfalls from the world outside. You shouted, but as the sounds outside became thinner it became obvious that it was completely hopeless. If you weren't surrounded by heavy garbage, someone might have heard something past the sweaty sock you were starting to choke on.  
  
The sounds eventually died completely.  
  
Alright, so you were going to die in here. No one could hear you,  and there was no way out. Two solid minutes into this realization and you stopped accepting that fate as it slowly sank in. You were going to starve, you were going to be crushed in a garbage truck, no, even worse... you were going to work free of the tape and start eating garbage to keep yourself alive and die from that...  
  
You resumed your struggling. Goddammit, you were not going to leave this miserable planet eating garbage...

A steady plunking on the lid of the can gave you more good news. It had started to rain. Wonderful. A droplet of water landing on your face let you know that this tin can had leaks. At least this brought on the thin hope that you would die of hypothermia before you were crushed to death or had to resort to eating spoiled pickles.  
  


There was one thing left to try. Your one last hope was still in your pocket‒ they had forgotten to take your phone....  
  
Using your arm's stump, you carefully slid the blessed rectangle out of your pocket. The stump was too thick to dial. This called for desperate measures. You would have to use your nose. With difficulty, you maneuvered around until you were on your stomach. Then, you searched for your phone.

It somehow wound up a foot away from your face. You crawled toward it, until the screen went dark and you were plunged back into blackness.  
  
You felt around, but your phone was nowhere to be found.  
  
A droplet of water slipped down your face. Was this another leak?  
  
Shit, no, you were crying....

The rain pounded harder. You attempted to seek shelter under what felt like empty water bottles. You couldn't see a thing, and rain seemed to find you everywhere you hid....  
  
You curled up in attempt to stay warm. The minutes dragged on and you only became wetter. You could swear the smell was making you lightheaded.  
  
In the darkness, you could almost see Lapis Lazuli's rage-filled face as she was dragged away from you. After over an hour, your mind entertained itself by playing back your worst memories. The first time you heard the nickname Robot-Fingers, the sight of Jasper weakened and broken.... But most of your memories were of being poked and prodded and taken apart and put back together.  
  
It was one long, miserable ride.  
  
Two hours later, you started to wonder if it was a good thing it would all come to an end. Right then, your heavy, 8-bit ringtone split through the silence. You shrieked and dug desperately through the heaps until you uncovered it.  
  
Then, the ringing stopped.

Your head came down on top of your phone as you sobbed. Such was just your luck.  
  
After a second, the ringing started up again. The name "Big Buff Cheeto Puff" flashed at your eyes. Your heart leapt and you swiped your nose across the screen.  
  
It actually worked.  
  
In a moment of triumphant hysteria, you laughed.  
  
"Don't give me that, Peri, where the fucking hell are you?"  
  
This was going to be awkward. "Mmmmmgh..."  
  
"Nevermind, keep your secrets if it's some weird cult meeting."  
  
Her gruff, grating voice was like music to your ears, but you were going to lose her soon....  
  
"Mmmgh hhhmmmpgggh!"  
  
"You're so fucking weird‒"  
  
"MMMMMMGFH!!"  
  
You broke and sobbed into your phone until Jasper's voice shouted, "Huh? Did you get kidnapped?"  
  
What was the answer? "Mm hmm."  
  
"Shit... okay, are you zip-tied?"  
  
"Mm mm."  
  
"Rope?"  
  
"Mm mm."  
  
"Tape?"  
  
Sort of? Despite the fact that she couldn't see you, you shook your head decisively. "Mm mm."  
  
"That's all I know how to get out of..." You thought you could hear Jasper scratch her head.

"Are you alone."  
  
"Mm hm."  
  
"Good. Do you know where you are."  
  
"Mm hm."  
  
"Are you still in town?"  
  
"Mm hm."  
  
"Are you moving?"  
  
"Mm mm."  
  
"This is gonna be easy. Your kidnappers suck. Hang tight, Peri. Someone's gonna get murdered tonight."  
  
You heard a door slam before she asked you more questions. You answered as best as you could. In case she forgot how important it was that she rescued you right this second, you punctuated every silence with sad sniffling.  
  
"Hang on, I'm gonna let your mom know what's going on... I'll leave her a bit of the assholes to shoot when we find you..."  
  
"MMMGPH!"  
  
"What? I should‒ fuck, I should do the right thing and call 911."  
  
_Don't go,_ you thought, but your phone beeped and the call ended. The screen went dark again and you shivered in the rain that was going to destroy your phone soon, probably.

An eternity later, Jasper called back and let you know that everyone who mattered had been informed of your kidnapping, and though the police had all the information you did, she was still coming to find her herself.  
  
She started going street by street playing Hot or Cold. You played along for another half hour until Jasper finally asked, "You're not at school, are you?"  
  
"MM HM!"  
  
"You gotta be shitting me... I'm close, calm down."  
  
You paused your sniveling until Jasper asked you, "Are you inside or outside? Shit, I mean‒ inside?"  
  
"Mm mm."  
  
"Outside."  
  
"Mm."  
  
"Got it."  
  
A few minutes later, you heard the blessed sound of Jasper's voice speaking through the rain before it sounded through your phone. You gave up answering her questions and pounded at the wall of the dumpster with your head.  
  
No face had ever looked as beautiful as Jasper's did when the lid was lifted up and her head appeared there. You fell silent as you was gripped with a sudden terror‒ was she going to laugh?  
  
Jasper bent down and lifted you up from under the arms. "I thought someone was holding you captive."

She slowly ripped the tape off your face. You spat out the sock before she could get the chance to pluck it out. "I know," you muttered tearfully. "Pathetic, right?"  
  
This was the part where she was going to sneer about your weakness and dump you on the doorstep of your worried, overworked mother. You looked away, red in the face.  
  
"I can't believe..."  
  
You stole a glance at Jasper’s face. It had contorted into something so violent it might have been sold as a Halloween mask. _"This_ is someone's idea of a joke. This is what's pathetic!"

Her terrifying expression made your voice catch in your throat. When she caught you staring, it faded to a regular scowl. That's when it dawned on you, she was on your side, she wasn't going to laugh....  
  
Out of pure relief, you started crying again. "This isn't. Fucking. Funny..." Jasper clenched her teeth and set you down on the ground. You looked up, puzzled, and saw her remove her jacket. "Letting someone die out in the cold because you don't like them is a real fucking joke...."  
  
You gave a little squeak when the jacket descended on you, and suddenly you found yourself wrapped in it. Jasper picked you up. "Are your legs in there?"  
  
"No... I don't.... know where...." Your voice was too choked to finish. "I wanna go home!!"  
  
"You got it, Princess...."  
  
She held onto you tight as she started walking. You buried your face into the warm crook of your shoulder. People were probably looking, and you needed some way to hide...

"I'll get you home," Jasper said. "And then I'm gonna find who did this and murder them. I'm gonna tear their throats out and bury them in the earth in pieces."  
  
"Nooo..." You groaned.  
  
"You don't TIE PEOPLE UP AND LEAVE THEM TO DIE!"  
  
You flinched, and Jasper fell silent. She panted audibly in an effort to keep herself from yelling. You could hear it. You could feel her chest rising and falling underneath you, and you felt her pace quicken. Before you knew it, she let go of you with one arm to open a door.  
  
"I'VE GOT HER!" She shouted.  
  
You burrowed deeper into the jacket as footsteps came pounding and light flooded your eyes.  
  
"Peridot..." breathed your mother's voice. "Oh my god, where‒ Eugh...!"  
  
"Okay," said your brother, "I don't even need to _ask_ to get this story."

You poked your head out. Your mother was crinkling her nose. "Are you hurt?"  
  
You couldn't seem to find your voice. "Her arms and legs are missing," Jasper said.  
  
"Ohhh, someone's _ass_ is going to get shanked..."  
  
"What would anyone want with her _limbs?_ That's just... weir‒" he trailed off at the look his mother gave him.  
  
She payed good money for those limbs.  
  
"If they were wrecked, there's gonna be hell to pay."  
  
"There's already hell to pay," said Jasper.  
  
Your mother wore a slightly less unattractive livid expression. "Peridot, honey, I want names."  
  
"Should we save the interrogations for later?" Jasper asked impatiently. "My arms are getting tired."  
  
"Give her to me."  
  
"I got it."  
  
Jasper carried you through your house, into a short hallway that led to your bedroom. It was the only bedroom on the ground floor. Not having to walk upstairs to get to bed was supposed to make your life easier on you. Jasper deposited you on your bed.

You glared at your brother, spying through the doorway. Despite her offer to carry you, your mother stood at least a foot away, conspicuously covering her nose. "You don't look hurt. Do you, um... want some tea?"  
  
"Y-yes," you whimpered.  
  
"GO MAKE YOUR SISTER SOME TEA," she barked at your brother. He jumped and scurried away. "Let me know when you're ready to talk. I have some phone calls to make. I have to let everyone know you're okay."  
  
You nodded to let her know she could leave. She stole out of the room, breathing in a fresh breath of air as soon as she was outside. "Jasper," you whispered. "C-close the door."  
  
Jasper stood up and did it without a word. Her eyebrows were pressed up together in a deep frown. You remembered what she said, it wasn't funny to tie someone up and leave them to die, but to be fair, there was no need for you to be tied up when you had detachable limbs.  
  
Jasper didn't, and now that you thought about it, maybe there was a time when she _would_ have laughed at the sight of you trapped in a trashcan. Before last summer, she might have teased you for it. But something about last summer changed her.

Then you realized. This was all Lapis Lazuli's fault. No one would have come after you if they still had a reason to be afraid of Jasper in the first place.  
  
"I thought you were gonna say something dumb," you muttered. "When you found me..."  
  
"Do you think I'm that shitty of a person?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Cmon, Peri." Jasper offered you a smile that looked very forced and almost scarier than her scowl. "When have I ever failed to come through to you before?"  
  
"I can think of a time..."  
  
Jasper's grin dropped. "Leave her out of this."  
  
"Why. It's all her fault this happened in the first place."  
  
"The hell do you mean by that."  
  
"Oh, they talked about you being put out of commission, not being my bodyguard anymore...." You wanted to add that she really should have listened to you when you told her that girl was bad news, but she _did_ just rescue you from the trashcan and giving her a panic attack would probably be considered ungrateful by most standards.

Jasper clenched her fists. She breathed in a shuddering breath and said to the wall, "We're not talking about this."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"We're talking about you. You're a mess. We should get you cleaned up."  
  
A knock sounded at the door. For the first time in his life, your brother had knocked before coming in. He entered bearing your tea. "The police are getting here soon."  
  
"WHY?"  
  
"I don't know, to ask questions?"  
  
"I don't feel like talking to them!"  
  
Your brother started to hand you the tea when he looked at your arms and hesitated. "Uh, how'm I supposed to... MOM!!"  
  
Your mom flew into the room. "WHAT HAPPENED?"  
  
"What do I do with this?"  
  
"Oh. I'll get that."  
  
She took the mug and held it to your lips. You instinctively moved your head away. "Cmere, honey. Peridot, stop fighting."  
  
You glared at everyone in the room as you allowed your mother to tip tea into your mouth. You thought the day couldn't get any worse when the rain started, but now you almost wished you were back in the trash.  
  
Still, at least the tea started to wash out the taste of dirty sock.  
  
You turned your nose up when you had enough. "Do you want anything else?" your mom asked.  
  
"My dignity back..."  
  
You could just see your brother biting back a comment. "Mm. Anything else?"  
  
You gave the names of all the kids who put you in the trash. "Tell the police and the principal that. I don't feel like talking to anyone right now."  
  
"Right. You probably want to rest." She looked hopeful.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Your brother hopped after her, saying, "Think one of them has all her limbs?"  
  
"Oh I do hope so."  
  
They left you alone again. With Jasper. "You need a shower."  
  
"GREAT idea! I'll just hop in there‒"  
  
"I'll help out. You need it. You smell like shit. Literally like shit."

"You’re one to talk."

"I’m serious."  
  
"Jasper, I am going to scream."  
  
"I'm not gonna force you into the bath. I wouldn't... if you think I'd force anyone into the water‒"  
  
"I don't need to be reminded of why you wouldn't want to do that."  
  
"Only..." She pursed her lips. She blinked, her eye twitched, and she said, "only... if you want."

"Ughhhh..." It was hard to say no when she was trying this hard. "You know what? This is already as humiliating as it could get, why not? Go ahead and bathe me. I'm so numb to _everything_ at this point that I really don't care anymore."  
  
"Okay. I'll be... I'll be back in a second."  
  
She left the room, you could only assume to start a bath, and returned less than a minute later. You were already starting to regret this. The very idea _was_ more humiliating, especially with everything they were saying about you and Jasper...  
  
What did she mean by it anyway? Was she really scared that nice by freaking Lapis Lazuli? This Jasper was weirding you out. This soft side of Jasper that you only saw when she yelled herself awake late at night and even cried from nightmares.  
  
Did you like her this way? You weren't sure. You let her pick you up and carry you into the bathroom. "I'm gonna wash her off," Jasper told your mother.  
  
"Should, um..." she looked at you worriedly. "Should I do that?"  
  
They both looked at you. "I don't care," you said.  
  
Your mother left it at that. Clearly she didn't want to do it.

Jasper locked the bathroom door behind her. You stayed still and let her strip you down until you were left in your boxer briefs. You were grateful that she didn't say anything. No comment at all as she lowered you into the bath. "Y-you..." She clenched her teeth and asked, "you okay?"  
  
"Mm. Fine."  
  
Once Jasper got used to it, you thought to yourself that you might begin to enjoy this odd level of sensitivity from her. The warm water felt nice. It wasn't as bad as you thought it would be. You found yourself relaxing.  
  
Jasper poured water over your body so slowly and carefully that you wondered if she was scared of drowning you. At this point, she seemed more stressed than you were. Her hands were starting to shake. "Hurry up. I don't wanna be in here forever."  
  
"Whatever you say, Princess."  
  
Jasper was less gentle as she scrubbed your body down with liberal amounts of soap. You became just like her cat, scowling and growling and all too eager to get this over with. You hissed when soap got in your eyes.  If you had your hands, you might be scratching someone by now.

When it was finally over, Jasper lifted you out. You shivered, exposed in the cold air outside the bath, until you were wrapped in a nice fluffy towel. "Ugghhh..."  
  
"What's wrong."  
  
"Nothing, I'm just having the worst day of my life..."  
  
"You seem better."  
  
"I... you know what, I do feel better. Onward, noble steed."  
  
"Only if you ask nicely, Princess."  
  
"Carry me the fuck back to my room, you big filthy asshole."  
  
"That's more like it."

Jasper banged the door open and carried you through. You almost giggled at the thought that she was carrying you bridal-style through the bathroom doorway, then you saw your brother standing there and remembered why you didn't usually joke about that kind of thing.  
  
He stared stupidly after you as Jasper carried you back to your room. "Pick up her clothes, jackass," she commanded.  
  
You waited until you were placed back on your bed and the door was shut before letting out the frustrated, quiet scream you were holding back. To make things even worse, the lingering smell of garbage still remained where you were sitting. "No, god, NOW this is the worst day of my life! I want to catch a break for just _one second,_ understand?"  
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
_Okay,_ you wanted to say, _I get it. You've been through a traumatizing experience and you can relate._  
  
Maybe she was _trying_ to relate. Jasper just made herself so obvious that it was a little embarrassing. She had the subtlety of an atomic bomb and the transparency of an invisible glass door.

She dug through your dresser and tossed you some pajamas along with a fresh pair of underwear. "Can you manage?"  
  
"I don't know. Turn around‒ or I don't care. Why should I care anymore."  
  
Jasper turned around. With much struggling, grunting, and maneuvering, you managed to slip on your underwear. You let Jasper help you with the rest of it. "I hate this," you told her.  
  
"I'd hate it too."  
  
"You'd hate it more."  
  
"I'd kill myself if it were me."  
  
"Glad it wasn't you, then."  
  
This was the closest you'd ever come to an outright declaration of love. Because you could actually manage the subtlety thing. Jasper actually smiled. "Can't believe someone threw you in the trash before I got the chance..."  
  
"You seem better too. I'm glad, you being so nice was starting to freak me out."  
  
"Wait, didn't you once climb into a trashcan after you finished Housetrapped? You shouted‒"  
  
"LOOK, I'M HOME!"  
  
"God, you're the biggest nerd I'll ever meet... glad you don't half-ass it..."  
  
You sighed. "Tuck me in," you commanded.  
  
"What'd I say about asking nicely."  
  
"Tuck me in, asshole."

"That's _noble steed,_ bitch."  
  
Jasper pulled back the blankets and threw them on top of you. You nestled in and made yourself comfortable. "Fluff my pillows."  
  
"No."  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
"What else do you want."  
  
You paused. You looked to the door. You never checked to see if it was soundproof. You blushed and mumbled, "Embarrassing displays of affection." Jasper raised her eyebrows and you finished for her, "I know, I'm adorable. Give it your worst."  
  
"I'm warning you I'm not a fan of half-assing things either."  
  
"Whole-ass it, then."  
  
Jasper reached for your face. You smirked, raising your eyebrows. The back of her fingers brushed your cheekbone. "Is that it?" It wasn't it. Jasper moved her hand so it cupped her face. She stroked your cheek with your thumb. Nevermind, this felt too weird.  
  
"I'd ask you to hold my hand..."  
  
"How embarrassing do you want."  
  
"I already told you to give it your worst."  
  
"Your mistake."

Jasper lifted the blankets back up and sat herself next to you. You let her put her arms around you and pull what was left of your body toward her. She lay down on her side and pulled the blankets over both of them.  
  
"This embarrassing enough?"  
  
"Positively mortifying."  
  
"I want your asshole of a brother to come in and see us spooning."

"Don't call him in here..." This was nice, being surrounded on all sides by a solid mass of warm flesh. She smelled a little of something rotting, but that was from carrying you. "Would it just be easier to pretend we _were_ dating?"  
  
"If you're asking me out, Peri‒"  
  
"I'm kidding."  
  
"'It's not that I don't love you‒"  
  
"Me neither. You're just someone who happens to only attract your type."  
  
"You have the sex appeal of foot fungus."  
  
"I'm sorry but nothing about you makes my nether regions tingle."  
  
"Are you done."  
  
You sighed contentedly and snuggled into her body. She tightened her arms around you. You'd warn her when she was crushing you, but for now you felt very secure. It was reassuring to know that Jasper would probably do anything you asked right now.  
  
She was letting you be in control, you realized. Control was something that Jasper never relinquished. And her she was, letting you order her around.  Because she knew what it was like to lose her control. Nothing for Jasper could have been more terrifying.  
  
Perhaps she did have some level of subtlety. Perhaps she really did know how to deal with these situations, and... she was trying. Trying to make up for something, what exactly it was, you couldn't put your foot on (even if you had one). You were too drowsy to think, and you weren't sure what your mind was getting at. You'd probably fall asleep here in a few minutes.  
  
You heard footsteps outside the hallway. "Quick, get off me," you said sharply, elbowing her with your stump.  
  
"Ugh..."

Jasper rolled off the bed and you quickly rearranged yourself to look like you weren't being snuggled for the past ten minutes. Your mother walked in, looking at you critically. "All cleaned up?"  
  
"Yes, mother. What's happening. Has anyone found my arms yet?"  
  
"I'm talking with the police now. I need those names again."  
  
You gave them, spelled them twice, and your mother left commanding, "Leave the door open."  
_What for?_ Jasper mouthed. Once your mother was gone, you told her, "I doubt it has anything to do with a fear that you'll take advantage of my helpless torso. She just wants to make sure everything's okay."  
  
Jasper walked over to the door. "What's going on..." she muttered.  
  
You were able to hear snippets of dialogue. And then it came.  
  
"You don't have _any_ idea what it's like, being a single mom. I had three boys already when my second husband wanted a divorce. Right after I gave birth to a child without limbs. I had to basically give the son of a bitch custody of my two older boys so I could give Peridot the attention she needed."

"Why is she telling them this, what does this have to do with anything...."  
  
"When's the tragic single mom backstory not relevant?"  
  
"I know," you said. "I'm a huge burden on the whole family! The only reason we even survived is‒"  
  
"I'm an heiress," your mom told the police. "My parents left me with enough money to pay for her treatment and therapy. But I can't buy my boys back."  
  
"That sounds terrible, ma'am."  
  
"I've got a couple boys at home myself..."  
  
You listened to chatter about the children of strangers and your mother's problems. "Poor little Peridough is so frail. I don't know of she needs a different diet, or different prosthesis, or therapy, or what."  
  
"Well, I respect that you're doing your best."  
  
"I don't know why any kid would pick on her."  
  
"I don't know why kids pick on each other at all."  
  
You attempted to cover your ears. "She tells this story to everyone she meets..."  
  
"You won't be a burden in a couple years when you're making your own money doing computer bullshit instead of relying on your rich parents."  
  
"Thanks, Jasper."

Once she was finished with her tragic sobstory, she reentered and let you know what happened. Parents and principals were informed, and each kid would be searched for your missing limbs.  
  
"This is going to make everything _infinitely_ better when I go back to school."  
  
"It'll blow over eventually," Jasper said. "They're going to forget about it."  
  
"They got a picture," you admitted.  
  
Jasper's face contorted again. "I'm going to fucking‒"  
  
"Jasper‒"  
  
"I'LL STRANGLE THEM!"  
  
"AND YOU'LL GET YOURSELF KILLED! YOU GOT BEAT UP IN THE LAST FIGHT YOU WERE IN!"  
  
"I DON'T CARE!"  
  
"Jasper, honey, I'll take care of it." Your mother had the I'm-a-strong-independent-single-mom smirk going on. "They'll be sorry they were ever born."  
  
"What are you going to do, ground them?!"  
  
"You know that's not my style. Trust me, I have plans."

"Whatever happens, I just don't want it to go around school..."  
  
"Oh, don't worry. It won't."  
  
Jasper still scowled, but at least she didn't start cursing in front of your mother. She had the tiniest bit of respect for her.  
  
Your mother wanted to know how you felt. You said you were as okay of a torso as you ever were. She asked if you were hungry. You were, but you said no because at the moment it was impossible to feed yourself. Your mother insisted that you needed to eat something. All you wanted back now was your middle finger so you could flip your brother off while he watched from the hallway as your mother fed you forkfuls of fancy pasta.  
  
"My sweet Peridough," she sighed, wiping the corner of your mouth roughly with a napkin.  
  
"Please don't make this worse..."  
  
"When your mommy is old and senile, I want you to do the same for her."  
  
"Why can't mommy make her little boy do it."  
  
"Mommy's little boy will have his own job."  
  
Jasper stood awkwardly next to you the whole time, occasionally scaring your brother away with glances.

After you were fed, your mother summoned your brother to take the dishes. She fussed over you, making sure you were comfortable, and finally you begged her to let you sleep. She smoothed your blankets and shut the light.  
  
"Jasper..." She'd been very quiet the past several minutes.  
  
"Mm?"  
  
"Are you staying?"  
  
"Is that what you want?"  
  
You nodded.  
  
Jasper took a chair from your desk and brought it next to your bed. She sat still like a loyal guard animal.  
  
You had to give it to her, she really did come through when you needed her.  
  
You knew each other well. Over ten years of friendship helped with that. She could read you almost as well as you could read her.  
  
Pushing six and a half feet, she was easily the tallest in your class. And without your legs, you were obviously the smallest. With her tiger stripes and your robot fingers, you looked like some sort of comedic routine.  
  
Jasper had fucked up nearly too many times to keep things up. But at times like these... you remembered why you had stuck around her so long.  
  
Even after she ran off with Lapis Lazuli and came back with damaged lungs and post traumatic stress disorder.  
  
"Jasper," you said again.  
  
"What."  
  
"Thanks," you mumbled.  
  
"What do you expect. I owe you. You... dealt with more shit than you had to."  
  
"We're still not even."  
  
"Go to sleep."  
  
Your mother returned to your side. Your brother came in and asked how things were going. It was fine. Things were going fine.  
  
You didn't have a hand to hold. So your mother kept her hand stroking your hair instead.  
  
You had lied. You felt very even. Even Jasper setting up "study dates" just so she wouldn't have to sleep alone wasn't this pathetic.  
  
Still.... something about this was almost nice, knowing that she cared...  
  
Maybe you'd have to forgive her. You wouldn't do it yet, but you couldn't stay mad at her forever.  
  
Your mother started humming. Jasper didn't bother with any more embarrassing displays of affection with her in here. That was fine. Her presence was reassuring enough.  
  
The worst day of your life drained everything out of you. You dreaded tomorrow, but for now you were okay. Even when you closed your eyes, you could feel Jasper's presence lingering over you.  
  
You drifted off, feeling perfectly safe.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Goddamn it fluffy friendship to me is like what porn is to most fanfic writers. Peridot getting thrown in the freaking trash was an idea that I wanted to write probably as soon as she was introduced but somehow this went from a crackfic to terrible angst.
> 
> Thank you to themistwolfkid for letting me text this story to her and being my first reader!
> 
> hmu on my tumblr im zeezeepearl yo


End file.
